Description
Since the beginning of a new century, Dutch politics stopped ‘ being dull’ . New parties and politicians emerged with an apparently complete different style and agenda. The results of some new parties in elections and polls are, certainly by Dutch standards, spectacular. Pim Fortuyn received posthumous 17% of the votes in 2002, Geert Wilders’ Partij van de Vrijheid managed to obtain more than 5% of the votes in 2006 while the once insignificant maoist Socialistische Partij was one of the main winners of these elections with almost 17% of the votes. Finally Rita Verdonk’s movement Trots Op Nederland is –although still in its embryonic phase – already quite successful in the polls (around 15%).
Populism is one of the terms which appears frequently in popular and specialist writings about all the new developments in Dutch politics. Still the term populism seems rarely fully understood. Is it a political style or an ideology? What are the connections between democracy, populism and representative politics? Is it a right-wing or a left-wing phenomenon or neither?
In this course we will examine the presence of populism in Dutch politics in the new (21st) and old (20th) century. At first, we will identify the defining elements of populism by examining the international literature on this subject. Then we will apply our concept to various Dutch movements, politicians and parties in past and presence. Finally, we will try to determine the conditions for success and failure of populism in the Netherlands.
Methods of Instruction
Lectures, plenary discussions, presentations
Literature
Paul Taggart, Populism. Buckingham: Open University Press 2000
David van Reybrouck, Pleidooi voor populisme. Amsterdam-Antwerpen 2009 [1e dr. 2008].
Anton Zijderveld; Populisme als politiek drijfzand, Cossee 2009
Examination
A presentation, a book review during the course and one term paper.
Deadline final paper: 24 October 2009
Schedule
Tuesday 1 September from 20.15-22.00
Tuesday 8 September from 20.15-22.00
Tuesday 15 September from 20.15-22.00
Tuesday 22 September from 20.15-22.00
Saturday 26 September from 10.00-12.00 and 13.00-15.00
Tuesday 29 September from 20.15-22.00
Tuesday 6 October from 20.15-22.00
Tuesday 13 October from 20.15-22.00
Tuesday 20 October from 20.15-22.00
Registration
Registration through U-twist before 24 augustus 2009 4 pm.